Katooni and the Identity of a Hero
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: Ahsoka assures Katooni during the Dark Times that a hero can be anyone, even in the controversial Clone Wars, and that the Force would never forget what the heroes did, including Katooni herself. Written from an old idea during a case of writer's block.


**A/N:** I had writer's block today, and I decided to write about an idea concerning Clone Wars heroes I had been thinking about for a little while.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Clone Wars series, or anything in its franchise. I just like telling my own stories about elements borrowed from it.

* * *

Katooni listened in her meditations, and she could hear the Force speaking to her in a reassuring voice. There was nothing but the Force with her. At least, until she thought she could sense another voice across the cosmos through the Force. She opened her eyes slowly, and there was Ahsoka Tano, the former Jedi Padawan who had angrily left the Jedi Order after feeling betrayed by Barriss Offee and the Jedi Council.

The little Tholothian girl was afraid, because the Jedi Order had been outlawed and wiped out by the new Empire, and as near as she could tell, all her fellow youngling clan members were dead. Petro had died defending her from treacherous clone troopers, and she heard of the deaths of all the others, too.

"I am not dead, Katooni," Ahsoka assured her, "Not yet, anyway. I'm glad to see that you are still alive in these dark times, too."

"Yeah, me too," said Katooni, "But with the Order outlawed and the Jedi Archives in the hands of the ISB, how is anybody going to remember who and what we Jedi were?"

Ahsoka smiled. "The truth is, Katooni, it doesn't matter what people think of you, or what they think of the rest of us, and it doesn't matter if they forget us forever, either."

"It doesn't?" Katooni asked, hopeful but not entirely confident in her belief in that statement.

"No," Ahsoka explained, "If there's one thing I've learned from associating with people outside the Jedi Order as well as inside, it's that what matters is what you do, how you live, how the Living Force feels about you. We are all equal before it, and it will never erase the memory of our faith or our actions from the universe, even if the whole galaxy turns against us or purposely forgets us forever."

"All equal?" Katooni asked disbelievingly, "But aren't little children like my clan and I different? We wanted to become legends, especially Petro, heroes of the galaxy, but now, except for me, we're all dead, and we're all viewed as just as much a 'menace to society' as our elders are. We're nothing before the eyes of the-"

"No, no!" said Ahsoka, "Don't think that way, Katooni! It doesn't matter what anyone thinks of you, not even the opinion of my former Master-turned-Darth Vader, even though he's the Chosen One. We all have immortal souls, and our actions as well as our faith in ourselves and in the Force define us. _That_ makes us equal. And not just Jedi, but everyone else, too."

"Yes, that is true, Ahsoka," said Katooni, still a little uncertain, "But what if the galaxy starts to see these callous stormtroopers and their ambitious but cowardly fleet officers as the true heroes of the galaxy, despite all their atrocities? That's even worse than the galaxy seeing the Jedi as villains, because they'll be revering the _wrong_ heroes."

"The Force knows who the true heroes are, as well as the true villains," said Ahsoka, "And anyone can be a hero. It's not just the Jedi legends that are important in the hall of fame. It's also the mentors who teach them how to become legends, and the counselors and seers who give wise counsel and advice to the legends so they can stay on the path of right. It's also the soldiers and warriors that help the Jedi fight their battles, the political friends that support them in the Senate, the family that raises the big heroes, the friends and lovers that support and encourage other people to be the best they can be, and the humble, low friends, like Dexter Jettster at his former diner, that offer good food, drink and comfort to weary heroes, as well as snippets of good information. I know that even droids can be heroes, like my friend, R2-D2, and his friends in D-Squad. A hero can even be something as small as a little child doing something as simple as finding the confidence to retrieve her lightsaber crystal and believing in her formerly selfish friend to come back and rescue her from an ice trap who lets her know that he truly does care about her."

As Katooni heard this, she began to get glimpses of heroes from all walks of life in the Clone Wars. Besides the legendary Anakin and Obi-Wan, she also saw Masters Yoda and Qui-Gon Jinn, mentors, as well as Tera Sinube, Aayla Secura, and Plo Koon, counselors of young Jedi, and brave clone troopers that didn't betray the Jedi. She saw idealistic senators like Amidala, Organa, Chuchi, and Mothma, a few families sympathetic to the Jedi Order that gave up their children willingly, Dexter Jettster, and her four fellow alien Jedi younglings. Finally, she saw a recap in her vision of the time when she climbed an ice wall to get her crystal, and how Petro selflessly saved her from being trapped forever in that dead end.

"I can see it now," Katooni said, "We are all heroes, whatever an unappreciative public may think, and the Force will protect that knowledge, even if no one else does. And I believe that there will be other heroes in the future that will stop this Empire and defeat it, and the galaxy will know the truth about the Jedi Order again." She smiled. "Thanks, Ahsoka. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Actually, I might," Ahsoka replied with a dry smile, "So now, has your confidence been uplifted again? Do you feel that you can face the Dark Times again?"

"Yes, yes I do," Katooni responded, "Even if my death is a lot closer than I hope it is, I can face the Empire with confidence now, even though there's very little a child like me can do about it, and I will endure as a hero in the Force!"

"Very good, Katooni," Ahsoka said, "Then I'll see you on the other side soon."

"How soon?"

"I don't know, but it won't be too long."

"Thanks again, Ahsoka," said Katooni, and her meditations ended for the time being.

And with that, Katooni got up, and proceeded to walk toward a city on Nar Shaddaa to resume her attempts at survival during the Dark Times.


End file.
